CENTRE FOR ANIMAL HEALTH STUDIES

POULTRY DISEASE DIAGNOSIS AND SURVEILLANCE LABORATORY, NAMAKKAL

Poultry farming is the one of the rapidly developing sector that plays an important role in food and nutritional security worldwide. Indian poultry industry is a fast growing sector constitutes an important component of the agricultural economy of the nation. India is third largest producer of eggs and fifth largest producer of poultry meat in the world. Poultry production in India has become increasingly specialized and integrated into a dynamic industry of National and International importance. Poultry farming is also growing very fast in Tamil Nadu in terms of both layer and broiler production.
Namakkal is the most densely populated layer producing region in India and occupying first place in egg production at National level. The Namakkal zone has a layer poultry population of approximately 50 million which produce nearly 40 million eggs per day. The 90% of egg export of India is originating from Namakkal. Broiler industry is growing well in neighboring districts of Namakkal mainly Tiruppur and Coimbatore districts of Tamil Nadu where the grant parent, parent and commercial broilers are reared. The broiler chicks and hatching eggs are sold to different part of India and also exported to foreign countries.
To sustain the poultry industry in this area, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore established a center called Poultry Research cum Investigation center on 04.09.1979. It became one of the constituent units of Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) when it was bifurcated from TNAU on 20. 09. 1989. To cater the increasing demand of poultry farmers, the laboratory further started disease surveillance activities and renamed as Poultry Disease Diagnosis and Surveillance Laboratory (PDDSL) on 01.12.2010 by TANUVAS.
At present, the PDDSL, Namakkal involving in the diagnosis of the existing and emerging diseases by providing post mortem service, isolation and identification of causative organisms, serological tests such as HA, HI, ELISA and molecular diagnostic test like PCR. To create awareness among the poultry farmers on poultry diseases and management, this laboratory is regularly conducting technical meet and training programmes. Apart from that weekly poultry disease forecasting is regularly carried out through newspapers for the benefit of poultry industry.

OBJECTIVES

Post-mortem examination and laboratory diagnosis of diseases.
Seromonitoring of Newcastle disease and Infections Bronchitis viral infections in poultry.
Surveillance of common diseases prevailing in commercial poultry farms.
Screening of Salmonella of zoonotic importance in poultry and related products.
Monitoring the health management in commercial poultry farms.
To aid in the post graduate research in poultry disease management.

Infrastructure

The laboratory is mainly concern with the diagnosis and control of poultry diseases and has well equipped bacteriology, virology, serology and molecular diagnostic units.

Salient achievements

A self-financing scheme on “Holistic health management in commercial poultry through diagnostic, preventive and biosecurity interventions” is implemented for the benefit of the poultry farmers of Namakkal region.
Filter paper techniques for collection of blood serum for estimating the antibody titre for ND and IB is being adopted routinely at PDDSL, Namakkal.
Screening of Avian Influenza (AI) test by RT-PCR on clinical samples sent through AQCS, Chennai for the purpose of egg export.
A technique on use of trypsin enzyme for activation of IB virus for conducting HI test.
A laboratory for screening of Salmonella of host specific and of zoonotic importance was established. Serotypes such as Salmonella Newport, Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium was identified from poultry and poultry related products.
A rapid multiplex molecular diagnostic tool was developed for the detection of Salmonella organisms in poultry and its related products.
A molecular diagnostic laboratory was created for detection of economically important poultry diseases.

Service to the poultry farmers

S. No.	Name of the test	Cost per sample (in Rs.)
1.	Post mortem examination	10.00
2.	Serology for Newcastle Disease (ND) -(HI)(Filter paper blood sample)	5.00
3.	Serology for Infectious Bronchitis (IB) -(HI)(Filter paper blood sample)	5.00
4.	Serology for Newcastle Disease (ND) -(HI)(Serum)	10.00
5.	Serology for Infectious Bronchitis (IB) -(HI)(Serum)	10.00
6.	Serology for Newcastle disease (RD) -(HI)(Egg)	10.00
7.	Serology for Infectious Bronchitis (IB) -(HI)(Egg)	10.00
8.	Detection of ND virus -(HA)	10.00
9.	Detection of IB virus -(HA)	10.00
10.	Detection of Infectious Bursal Disease virus(IBD) virus -(AGPT)	10.00
11.	Culture testsFeed, Feed ingredients, feed additives and organs
	a) E.coli	100.00
	b) Staphylococcus	100.00
	c) Clostridium	100.00
	d) Salmonella	200.00
12.	Water analysis	50.00
13	Cultural examination of clinical materials	100.00
14.	Antibiotic sensitivity test (ABST)	100.00
15.	Shed environment microbiology - Plate exposure test	50.00
16	Total Microbial count	250.00
17.	Total Coliform count	250.00
18.	Vaccine potency test	50.00
19.	Farm visit	100.00
20.	HPAI Test	1200.00

Research

Completed research projects

Part II Scheme on Construction of building for Avian Disease Laboratory at Veterinary College and Research Institute Campus, Namakkal,
Isolation and Pathological Characterization of Gallibacterium anatis in Poultry
Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Avibacterium paragallinarum in Poultry
Development of multiplex PCR for differential diagnosis of respiratory-immnuosuppressive disease complex in poultry” funded by DST
GOI-SERB-DST Scheme on Multiplex PCR for detection of infectious agents associated with egg shell apex abnormalities in layer chicken by DST
TANUVAS Sub-project “Antibiogram and Molecular characterization of bacteria causing egg peritonitis in Poultry” was completed

Ongoing research projects -International

S. No.	Name of the project	Funding agency	Funding Outlay
1.	Indo-UK, DBT-ESRC collaborative project on Chicken or Egg: Drivers for AMR in Poultry in India (DARPI)	DBT-ESRC-Newton Fund	Rs.51.604 lakhs
2.	GCRF One Health Poultry Hub	GCRF, UK	£ 1,51,617
3.	Understanding the emergence of variant infectious bronchitis virus in chickens in UK and India: shared control strategies	BBSRC, UK	£ 34,650
4.	Accelerating Bovine tuberculosis control in developing countries -India (AbTb CD)

Ongoing research projects -National

One Health Approach for Animal and Public Health to Augment Food safety and Productivity, Govt. of Tamil Nadu

Continuous university schemes

A self-financing scheme on Holistic health management in commercial poultry through diagnostic, preventive and biosecurity interventions
The lab coordinates with other units of TANUVAS in the schemes such as on “Starting of Experimental, Agro Meteorological Advisory Service” functioning at Department of Livestock Production and Management, VC&RI, Namakkal and Veterinary Type culture under tribal sub plan scheme of VRC-VV.

Outreach

Externship training on laboratory diagnosis and management of tropical poultry diseases for DVM students from abroad such as USA and Bangladesh.
Hands on technical training were given on poultry diseases diagnosis to Veterinary graduates and laboratory technicians.
Training is being given to CAS trainees of Poultry Science Department, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal.
Forecasting poultry diseases/health management are delivered to farmers every week through local newspapers
Messages on poultry diseases are telecast through AIR, Trichirapalli, FM radio, Kodaikanal, local TV channels and Pothigai TV channel for the benefit of the poultry farmers.

other activities

BBSRC India Partnering scheme- The UK investigators Prof. Matthew Baylis (Online) and Dr. Kannan Ganapathy visited PDDSL-TANUVAS Namakkal and Poultry Stakeholders meeting held on 10.08.2022 and to review the activities of the scheme and discussed to make future collaborations.
TANII scheme on " One Health Approach for Animal and Public Health to Augment Food Safety and Productivity” hands-on training programme on food borne pathogens in poultry organized by PDDSL on 07.10.2021 and 08.10.2021 for Veterinary Assistant surgeons , Govt Medical Doctors and Health Inspectors
Distribution of TANUVAS LFC low cost rural poultry cages and M type chicken cages as a part of tribal subplan scheme on 31.07.2019

Current Focus

Screening of Salmonella species of zoonotic importance under international standards for the benefit of the poultry product exporters.
Molecular confirmation of Avian pathogens.
Research on respiratory immunosuppressive viruses of poultry.
Antimicrobial resistance and food safety

FACULTY

Name and Designation	Email ID	Mobile #
Dr. T.R. Gopala Krishna Murthy, Professor and Head	gopalakrishnamurthy.t.r@tanuvas.ac.in\| gkmurthy_in@yahoo.com	+91-9442263268
Dr. K. Senthilvel, Professor	senthilvel.k@tanuvas.ac.in\| kansen@rediffmail.com	+91-9443588983
Dr. V. Gowthaman, Assistant Professor	gowthaman.v@tanuvas.ac.in\| vetgowth@yahoo.co.uk	+91-9488764261

Professor and Head,
Poultry Disease Diagnosis and Surveillance Laboratory,
Namakkal - 637 002.
Phone: 04286-266 226.
E-mail: adl-vcri@tanuvas.org.in